Through the Fire

[:::: Authors Note ::::]

When I first drafted this story out around eighteen months ago, the concept was a lot more in the LW category, however as the words and story came together, it was obvious that this was a love story of two very different people that had been connected by events and despite everything the world threw at them were destined to be together.

I have known couples like this, sometimes their physically at opposite ends of the spectrum, other times their personalities are like night and day. But each time, you note very quickly that they are very much in love, and they don't give a rats what anyone else thinks. This is where I saw Brian and Betty ending up.

If you haven't yet, please read through

Part 1

,

Part 2

&

Part 3

before getting into this closing chapter of the story. Through the Fire has been an enjoyable story to write and now with their happiness locked in, who would want to try and disrupt that happiness?

I would like to again thank the two editors that worked with me on this story, they both wished to remain anonymous. As all us writers do, I've tweaked even after three edits, so there are mistakes, but if you can look past that to the story, good on you!

Now, read on.

[:::: Through the Fire - Part 4 ::::]

[:::: 15 ::::]

I had the knuckles of my right hand in a bucket of ice, the water tinted red with a touch of my blood. My hand hurt, but an earlier check-up had proven it wasn't broken, just a sprain. I sat back in the police interview room, and with a simple napkin, used my left hand to dab my lip which was split. I had been sitting for a little under half an hour according to the clock on the wall and trying to ignore the drab décor of the room when the detective came in caring a folder.

He placed his information down, then sat in the chair on the opposite side of the table before opening the folder, looking at me and then began reading.

"Mr Brian Other, recently turned, twenty-eight. works as a landscaper for Big Landscapes, current legal guardian of twins Tim and Sonia Redding, engaged the Betty Brown." He frowned at Betty's name while obviously seeing a photo of her.

"Better known as the super model Lurandra," I finished for him putting the pieces into place.

His surprise showed for a moment before his professional demeanour reasserted itself. 'Well yes, of course, Lurandra."

He stopped a moment later and looked at me, his mask again slipping. "Really? Lurandra?" he asked an incredulous note in his voice.

I sniggered, "Yes, I am engaged to Lurandra, aka Betty Brown, aka one of the acknowledged sexiest women on the face of planet earth."

He cleared his throat, then his voice broke. "Really, I mean..."

I raised an eyebrow. A few months ago, this would have just sent me into a spin, I would have clammed up and apologised just for living. But I was different now.

"Is there something wrong with me, a reason that I could not be with her?"

I know what he wanted to say, and fortunately his training was strong enough that he resisted the urge.

I laughed again. "Is it because I am a super large, hideously scarred freak of nature?" I told him, enjoying his awkwardness. When he went to respond and tell me it wasn't the case I waved him away. "Detective it's alright, I am sure that when the media get hold of this, you're once again going to hear a lot about me and Betty. But yes, I am engaged to her."

He smiled and appeared to relax. "I'm sorry Mr Other," he said.

"Brian," I replied.

"Brian," he repeated nodding. "Well Brian, we've got a bit of an issue here, would you mind walking through it with me?"

"Am I under arrest or being charged with anything?" I asked, figuring out if I needed a lawyer.

"Not at this point," the detective told me shaking his head. "You're here because everyone is and we're interviewing everyone separately. It's possible there will be charges, but a lot depends on what everyone says."

"Tim and Sonia?" I asked him.

"They are being looked after by...," he paused looking in his folder, "A Ms. Harper Other. Your sister?"

I nodded, "Thanks," I told him grateful that I knew the kids were safe.

"So do you want to walk me through what happened this afternoon?" he asked me placing a voice recorder on the table. "Do you mind?"

I nodded, "Please, I would prefer this a casual chat off the record. I am happy to tell you what happened, but if you want to record, I will need to say the 'L' word and I would prefer to keep this friendly.

He sat back and eyed me for a moment, "Fair enough, casual for now. So, tell me Brian, what happened?"

He put the recorder back in his pocket and I took a deep breath, blew it out and gathered my thoughts.

[:::: 16 ::::]

Since that fateful day in New Farm Park, my life had turned around. I was no longer a walking advertisement for depression caused by the horrific scars all over my body; scars caused by saving my sister from a fire when I was young. Indeed, from the day that Betty Brown, more commonly known by the world as Lurandra, supermodel, I had come out of my shell.

We were engaged and not only that, but we were also in the process of adopting twins. They were two amazing kids, that like me had been burnt in a house fire in which they had lost the rest of their family. Tim and Sonia would legally become our children once Betty and I were married in a few weeks' time. Due to Betty's fame, we had been regularly meeting with a trusted reporter, Andrew, who would interview Betty, Tim, Sonia and myself over the next few days to make the next release of formal announcements around our impending marriage and their adoptions.

I had been through a bit of a media frenzy once, the day that Lurandra kissed me in front of thousands of people, but that had settled down a while ago replaced by a background buzz regarding our relationship. It was known that she was dating me, but the public would not know how serious it was until Andrew released the articles. Betty kept her engagement ring in a box on the dresser in our bedroom except when we were in our home.

It was a bright Saturday morning, Betty had headed to the airport to pick up Andrew, while Tim, Sonia and myself set up at a table out of the way in the beautiful gardens within New Farm Park. We felt it was the right place to do the interview since this is where everything had started.

After laying everything out and sitting down, Tim and Sonia were happily telling me about all the things they were looking to do as a family: Holidays to the beach; Holidays to Disneyland; friends they wanted to meet; the pets they wanted us to buy; the movies they wanted to watch and of course what was their favourite brand of chocolate was, and lollies should be in the house at all times.

Since being released into our care, both kids had flourished, Tim, who was less scarred than his twin, was always helping Sonia. Like me she had burn scars over more than fifty percent of her body including part of her face. She was still rather frail but getting stronger all the time.

On the table we had laid out sandwiches for the kids, party pies and sausage rolls, hot from an oven bag. There was juice, water and soft drinks. And both kids were eyeing off the block of chocolate for later. I had just gotten a text message from Betty that her and Andrew were parking and would be a few minutes away when everything kind of happened.

Tim and Sonia were trying to be very helpful, and there was no warning, but Sonia looked up and suddenly screamed. Her voice carried, the panic in her expression conveyed across the broad meadow of the park we were sitting in. The cause of her scream was apparent even as it was loosed from her lungs, and I started to turn in the direction that she and now Tim were looking.

But before I could move more than a few inches, a large and hairy arm went around my neck and before I could react started dragging me backwards. I am quite burly and strong myself, so without thinking, my hands went to the arm to release the chokehold.

His assistants were ready though, and as the first guy released me, the other two grabbed my shoulders and forced me to my knees.

"Aww, look at that," a voice that I had not heard from quite some time said mockingly. "Crispy has gone and found some mini versions of himself."

My eyes narrowed to focus on the form of Brian DuMont, now standing a half dozen paces away from me. He had three other men with him, all greasy looking, dark hair, scraggly beards and eyes and facial features similar to his own. The two holding me, were standing on my calves while I was on my knees and holding my body taut, but with some effort I could turn my head to see Tim and Sonia. They were trying bravely to stifle cries while being held by the fourth guy. I did not like the lecherous look on his face.

I turned back to DuMont. "What do you want?" I sneered at my longtime nemesis.

"Blood," he said immediately. "You got me arrested, and now I'm going to take it out on your hide before you go to the cops. You're going to write a statement, something those pricks called police here can submit to the pigs back home dropping the charges against me. My family had to sneak me out of the country and you're going to sort it out for me or pay dearly for fucking me over Crispy.

"Get lost DuMont," I spat. "I had nothing to do with it, that was all your fault. No, is my simple answer. Now, let me up, let us go and back off now before I get upset."

DuMont barked a laugh and sneered at me. "You don't get it Crispy," he said and nodded. Suddenly I was jabbed in the back with a fist and Sonia cried out again before she suddenly went quiet. I winced and looked over; the leech had his hand over her mouth. I glared at the poor excuse for a human being holding her.

"If you don't do exactly as I say, my cousins and I are going to hurt all three of you, hurt you badly. I get it that you might not care about yourself, God knows no one else does. But what about your young friends here.

"We're going to tell the police..." was all Tim said before the leech backhanded Tim.

"Shut your mouth," the guy said in a thick French accent.

The other two holding me, had to jab me in the kidney's three times before I settled down. Once they had me pinned again, DuMont strode forward and slapped me. I spat the blood from my lip a second later and settled all of my hate, all of my rage into glaring at the poor excuse for a man in front of me.

"Weak as piss, DuMont," I said a moment later. "You hit like a girl." I wanted to scream and swear at him, but that would just cause the kids to panic and too much foul language was not something they needed to hear from me.

He stepped forward and slapped me again, his palm echoing against my cheek. "You freak," DuMont spat, angry that I had not just acquiesced like I had so many times in the past to him. "You think you can insult me?"

"Too right," I replied before he could say anything. "It's taking everything your two gorillas have just to hold me in place. And let me tell you, if anything, and I do mean anything happens to either of my two friends," I smiled darkly. "Then there will not be enough strength in any of you to stop me from tearing you limb from limb and using you're severed limbs to beat you all to death, you get me, DuMont?"

For a moment, DuMont's visage dropped and showed that the little prick was scared shitless. If it wasn't for the other three guys, I already would have finished him. I wasn't a fighter, but I was three times the size of the little French fuckwitt. I most likely could have gotten out of his two compatriot's holding me and likely have done some damage if it weren't for the guy with the kids.

DuMont put his mask back on. "Then do what I say, and no harm will come to them," he tried to tell me, but I didn't believe him for a second.

I shook my head, "It won't make any difference Brian," I said using the name we shared. "You know that anything I say doesn't mean a thing in a French court. Besides, the charges were not from me, they came from Lurandra."

He sneered again and lent in close to me. I could smell the cigarettes on his breath. "Yeah, how does it feel Crispy?" he told me. "Once again, I got to fuck the girl you were interested in, and my God, she was super in every way. I rocked Lurandra's world and I'm still deciding if I'll go back for a second helping. When she lands back in Australia, we can hook up. Who knows with a pretty little thing like her. Perhaps now I've taken her from you, I'll settle down with her and fuck a few kids into her."

He must have been out of the loop a little too long, drunk a little too much wine or just doesn't watch the news. Or he would have seen the rumours. He just totally ignored that it was Lurandra and her agency that were suing him with bearing false witness and bringing my now fiancée's professional name into disrepute.

I again glanced at the kids. Tim had a red mark on his cheek where the letch had struck him, but was acting bravely, looking for an opportunity to free his sister; Sonia had tears in her eyes.

I threw my head back and laughed. "You idiot," I spat back. "You never got anywhere near her, I know for a fact that Lurandra wouldn't touch your snivelling, excuse for a dick if you donated a million dollars to her charity of choice. You're nothing but a bottom feeder DuMont. You never got it. Then again, it wasn't until recently that I got a clue either."

He said nothing. I sighed.

"Look Brian," I said, again using our shared first name, trying to soften my tone and deescalate the confrontation. "The reality is that you never had a chance with Lurandra. We both know you never slept with her before, nor will you in the future. She will never, ever have your kids."

"Yeah right," DuMont said, but a note of doubt was creeping into his voice. "You saw the photos, I know you did."

I nodded, trying to still appear calm. "Yes, I did, and it upset me so much that I spent a night in hospital."

DuMont smiled triumphantly.

"But it doesn't change the matter that you and Lurandra would never happen. I know the photos are fake and besides, she is with someone else," I replied indignantly. If he wasn't up on the latest news of my love life, I might be able to use it to disrupt him and get my future children free to run.

"Yeah, her ex Tommy," DuMont said haughtily. "She used you Crispy. Used you like a two-dollar whore for the publicity. She's going to marry Tommy and you will just be stuck here with these two mini-crisps."

All four of the men laughed.

I shook my head. "No, it's not Tommy, Lurandra is not with him," I told my nemesis.

I just needed more time, surely someone heard Sonia's scream, there weren't yet a lot of people nearby, but there were people in the distance that might be curious or could send for help.

He snorted eyeing me off. "What you," DuMont sneered again. "You think that a beautiful woman like Lurandra, would ever be interested in a man who is so ugly that he has to find friends with kids that are just as hideous as he is?"

Before I could reply, a new voice rang out.

"Yes him," my fiancée stated. "He is the strongest and most handsome man I have ever met."

There alongside my bride stood Andrew and even better, two police officers, one of them on the radio I assume calling for backup.

"I'm in absolute awe of Brian Other," Betty continued. "I love him more than anyone can ever understand and we're getting married soon. So not only are those two children that you are holding illegally, going to join my husband and I as a family, but I am going to make sure he knocks me up soon."

DuMont looked unbelievingly at Betty, then to me and then back again. I was smiling broadly at his unbelief, so was Betty as she publicly proclaimed her love for me. DuMont glanced at the kids, and as he did, I felt the two holding me ease up in the presence of the police. Suddenly, I was able to shrug off their hands and stood in a single explosive motion sending the two of them sprawling backwards. I could feel their earlier punches that they had delivered to my kidney's, but it didn't matter, right now I wanted to tower over DuMont.

"Give it up DuMont," I spat at the little prick. "This isn't high school anymore. I'm not the kid you teased and humiliated. I'm not even the guy that you enjoyed hurting by seducing an insecure woman away from me. I've found my purpose, people that care and love me. I am engaged to the hottest woman on the planet, and I know she loves me as much as I love her. You're French, you have read of the great romances. We'll now you can put Lurandra and Brian Other among them. It's a bond that you, with your slimy smile and snake oil charm can't break."

He was glaring at me, hatred in his eyes. "Fine," DuMont spat. "Then just die."

Everything went into slow motion as those moments in life do. DuMont reached into his waistband and started to bring out something; it immediately looked like a gun. The police behind me were also drawing, but there were a number of people in the way, including two kids. They would never shoot.

I saw the murderous look in his eyes and knew I had moments to react. He would try to kill me first, then who knew who else's lives would be in mortal danger.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm not a fighter. Despite my size and strength, I avoided fights and pretty much usually ran the opposite direction or just took the humiliation.

DuMont was drawing the gun as I moved. Fortunately, he was only a couple of paces away from me after delivering his last slap and I didn't have far to move. Even as he was turning his wrist to align the gun on me, I had taken a step forward with my left foot while my right foot was working on the conversion between the uprights.

The grunt that DuMont made as my foot made the connection with his balls was satisfying. He was lifted off the ground a couple of inches and lost his grip on the gun. As my foot touched the ground a moment later, my fist collided with his cheek and the little ingrate sprawled on the ground spitting out two teeth, the gun bouncing a dozen paces away.

Suddenly the police were yelling commands, their guns drawn, ordering everyone on the ground.

DuMont was already down and senseless, but the leech and the two guys that had been holding the kids and me quickly complied.

Just to stay out of the way, I sat down and I got a nod of appreciation from one of the officers, as cautiously, with his gun trained on DuMont, moved to stand between everyone and the pistol on the ground.

Five minutes later and there were close to a dozen officers around us, an ambulance crew and we could see media van's turning up, obviously picking up the disturbance on police scanners or similar channels.

DuMont was face down on the ground, now in handcuffs.

Sonia was sitting in my lap and Betty was sitting beside me, dapping a napkin on my blooded hand, Tim sitting in her lap as we waited.

Andrew had headed over with an officer to talk to the media, following approval from Betty and me.

"You haven't heard the last from me Crispy," DuMont sneered has face on the ground, I could see blood on his face, his nose and cheek didn't look right. But no one appeared in a hurry to get him medical attention. Instead, I could see an ambulance crew making their way over to us and I would make sure the kids got checked out first.

Sonia snorted a cute little sound in reply to DuMont. "You know," she said sweetly but loud enough for everyone to hear including DuMont. "Mr Brian's going to be my Dad pretty soon. He's got more love and forgiveness in him than I have, and I know he would forgive you if you asked."